Q: “Will the UAD-1 work on G5 systems?”
A: Yes, the UAD1 will work on G5’s, however there are some issues that you and your customers should be aware of. The following information is posted publicly at
http://www.uaudio.com/support/software/UAD-1/technotesau.html
(The same post also includes more details and tips for G5s and the UAD1.)
- For improved performance when using a PCI-based audio I/O interface, install the UAD-1 and audio card on separate PCI busses. Slots 2 and 3 are on one bus, and slot 4 (furthest from AGP slot) is on a different bus. The 1.6GHz model has only one bus.
- At high UAD-1 DSP loads, inserting an additional UAD-1 plug-in can cause a very high host CPU load and/or audio dropouts. The point at which this occurs can vary depending on the total number of UAD-1 plug-ins that are running. Additionally, some audio I/O interfaces may not allow UAD-1 CPU loads as high as those when using only built-in audio.
- FireWire and USB audio interfaces may not perform as well as PCI-based audio interfaces. High host loads and/or low UAD-1 DSP loads may result.
- This is particularly true on G5 systems with more than one UAD-1 card installed. Performance may actually improve if you disable all but one installed card in the UAD-1 Meter System Information window. Multi-card issues may also affect PCI and built-in audio (to a lesser degree than FireWire and USB)
Universal Audio is actively working on resolving multi-card issues on G5 systems.